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Filming in Israel – Filming in Jerusalem

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:13:11 +0000

As a producer and provider of production services in Israel, I am always on the lookout for that one ultimate shoot that captures the breathtaking beauty of Jerusalem. No crew leaves Israel without filming in Jerusalem, and through all the years that I have been providing professional production services in Israel, no crew has left untouched by the city’s history, monumental architecture and eternal spirit.

I have compiled a list of locations across the city of Jerusalem, which offers you the best panoramic shots. I regard this list as unfinished – even after many years of producing and filming in Israel, there will always be a new spot with a good angle that offers great light and a stunning view.

Kibbutz Ramat Rachel

At this Kibbutz you can find a lookout point with wonderful views of the city, stretching all the way to Bethlehem, the Herodian, and the Judean hills. When you reach the Kibbutz you make first a left and then a right. From the parking lot you continue to a small amphitheater, and at the edge you will find this enchanting hidden lookout.

The Haaz Promenade

This promenade is located in the Talpiot neighborhood, just ten minutes from the town center. It offers a great lookout point over the old city of Jerusalem, the Hinnom Valley, and the ruins of the City of David. The promenade is also known as Tayelet, and in fact there are three different promenades to discover. Film crews travel here often to catch a good shot in the afternoon sunlight.

The Y.M.C.A.

In the town center on King David street, across from the famous King David Hotel, you find the Y.M.C.A. hostel which offers a remarkable balcony with wonderful views of the old city, the new city and the Mount of Olives. When filming in Israel, film crews often look for symbols of the three religions and this is definitely a location to visit.

The Jerusalem Municipality Building

The building is located right in the center of town in Jaffa Street. If you take the elevator to the sixth floor you will find a wonderful panoramic balcony looking out to the east and the west of the city.

Mount Scopus

On your way to Mount Scopus, every point on the road around the Hebrew University provides you with a view of the old city and the Judean Desert. The lookouts also offer an almost birds eye view of the old city. This is the highest and closest point from where you can observe the old city: 830 meters above sea level.

Mount of Olives

Some say that the view at the Mount of Olives is the most beautiful in the world. The lookout terrace is on top of the mountain under the Seven Arches Hotel and above the large Jewish cemetery. During sunset and sunrise the city is painted in different shades of red, yellow, pink and orange and the Dome of the Rock sends rays of color all over the city. Shooting at the Mount of Olives when filming in Israel helps you to understand where the phrase ‘Jerusalem of Gold’ comes from. It is an unforgettable experience for thousands of filmmakers who travel to the Holy Land every year for filming in Israel.

The Tower of David

The Tower of David is located next to Jaffa Gate, the busiest and most well-known gate of the old city. The top balcony of the Tower of David provides a stunning 360° view of the old city and the new city. Filming at the Tower of David is a great location for film crews coming from overseas for filming in Israel.

As mentioned above, this list is unfinished. Filming in Israel, and especially filming in Jerusalem, is a journey that takes you to surprisingly beautiful locations even after years. For anyone interested in further information about filming in Israel, I recommend our website http://www.biblicalproductions.com/index.htm with a comprehensive location guide to the best filming locations in Israel.

Arab B2b Takes New Direction in North America

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:12:46 +0000

The New York Times conducted an interview with Ms. Janine Jaouni, Director of Business Solutions, an entrepreneurial e-commerce figure in the Middle East; the interview was part of a research and collaborative efforts by Microsoft, Google and eBay to explore markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for introduction of new product lines and services. According to Ms. Jaouni, the e-commerce environment in the Middle East and North Africa faces several obstacles which deprived consumers in the region from commodities which [surprisingly] they can afford.

“The major issue is lack of a free market economy, companies are encouraged to export, yet customs and red-tape are a trade mark of most Arab economies, perhaps with the exception of the Emirates.” Ms. Jaouni continues: “the population of MENA stands at approximately a quarter-billion people, yet the economic boundaries have defeated the purpose when it comes to creating economies of scale.”

Microsoft, Google and eBay realize that MENA is an untapped consumer environment, yet the challenge remains on how to make such fragmented demands make economic sense, after all, the American business model is based on centralized operations of scale, particularly when it comes to the services sector, the challenge is the many borders, each with its own set and often contradictory rules of doing business.

Ms. Jaouni points out that her company Business Solutions has identified three challenges. The first challenge is lack of infrastructure for transportation and speedy delivery and reliable mail services; the second is lack of credit (less than 2% of the population of MENA has credit cards, 5% of those in her estimates have PayPal accounts), and the third is lack of trust – this is due to the fact that prosecuting someone in a different country is very difficult, particularly for consumer size transactions. Ms. Jaouni discounts the challenge of the centralized business model; “the web and e-commerce in particular lend themselves to a decentralized model,” she adds.

Then, how do you do e-business in the Middle East and North Africa, isn’t that what you do?, we asked.

Many young Arab entrepreneurs have realized that they can setup simple e-commerce (business-to-customer, B2C) sites catering to European and American customers. The nature of the products ranges from souvenirs to specialty or traditional items. These businesses, while profitable, require extensive marketing and dedication, something which is not easy to do for a part-time entrepreneur. Ms. Jaouni states: “Our approach and company philosophy is different; we help these and others setup a network of Business-to-Business (B2B), and from there B2C, thus creating a web of tiered network referred to as B2B2C.”

Business Solutions realized the potential of B2B marketing and produced its first EXPO package in 2003. This B2B package is designed for export oriented markets and includes categorized listings of businesses, each business with online catalogs, inquiry baskets, PDF brochures and utilities to export spreadsheets for large scale marketing campaigns. EXPO is most suitable for markets with specialized product sectors, like in Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Morocco. The platform has significantly contributed to exports of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, marble and stone, leather products, textiles and furniture.

Based on the success of EXPO, the company launched the Arab Travel Network (ATN) in 2005. ATN is a site totally administered by travel agents, tour operators and companies which provide related travel and tourism services. For businesses, it functions as a B2B platform creating a travel and tourism marketplace in an area long ignored by Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. Tour operators are now capable of organizing tours and selling packages to travel agents world-wide. Travel agents in turn offer travel packages to customers, also online, a very successful B2B2C model. The major tourism sectors benefited by this package are in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Ms. Jaouni states that Business Solutions has also experimented with hotel reservations and other services related to Hajj and Omra in Saudi Arabia, and is currently looking for local partnership and representation. The Emirates market also has great potential, but requires a unique model which Business Solutions is looking into.

The latest release by Business Solutions is ArabCityUSA.com which is a super-portal targeting the Arab Community in North America. The planned release of ArabCityUSA.com was postponed by six months in order to re-design the site to make full use of the latest AJAX technology. This technology enables vendors and users alike to get results effectively without having to “mine” for information. The site is focused on travel services with airfares and packed offers, and online airfare quotes system to many airports in Arab countries and world-wide destinations. The portal has a comprehensive list of restaurants offering Middle Eastern and traditional Arabic (particularly Lebanese and Moroccan) cuisine, where each restaurant self publishes specialties and menus which appear in a compiled easy to browse pages. The site also offers a comprehensive business directory with categorized listings and online catalogs for products and services. In addition to AJAX, the site utilizes US zip codes to calculate distance to such businesses and sorts results by distance. The site has a social platform which offers a meeting place similar to MySpace.com; among the innovative features is Skype.com online status for members and statistics about who is online using IP-to-Country detection technology. Ms. Jaouni adds that the target Arab communities in the US are primarily in Paterson and Jersey City in New Jersey, New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Houston, Dearborn, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. All services offered through ArabCityUSA.com are free, except for the advertisements, preferred and featured listings.

The future of e-business in the MENA region remains promising, evident by the high number of internet users. “Somehow we need to turn browsing time into a shopping experience”, Ms. Jaouni comments, “I see people taking shopping trips to London, Paris and New York; we need to make the same products available here for the middle-class, it is all products they can afford.”

Discover & Experience Ghana & Africa With Passionate Desires Travel & Tours

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:58:14 +0000

PASSIONATE DESIRES TRAVEL & TOURS WELCOMES YOU TO AFRICA AKWAABA,* It’s an expression you will hear several times daily as you travel around Ghana, one that will ring in your ears at night, and bring a smile to your face for weeks after you leave. Akwaaba! It means Welcome! And you will be. Welcome to a Land of Sunshine, a nation with the reputation as the friendliest in Africa. A haven that combines the charms of a tropical beach idyll with a fascinating historical heritage, rich cultural variety, and some interesting wildlife in the national parks… Discover & Experience Ghana With Passionate Desires Passionate Desires is the leading Ghana’s travel and tour Company for independent-minded and adventurous travelers who are passionately in love with Africa and want to explore both the beauty and the primitive side of Africa either for pleasure, business or educational purposes. We provide world class information and advice about where to go, what to visit and how to get here. Our in-depth travel guides have been written by experts and will help you plan your trip whether it’s an overland trek, adventure tour or a once in a lifetime travel experience. We have it all with our offer affordable tourist attraction. Passionate Desires, as a full service destination management company based in Accra, Ghana, our primary focus is providing ground-handling services for you or your group. The tours we offer consist of an array of interests and experiences, ranging from cultural, educational, to adventure/eco and we can customize programs to meet your needs and interests. Our priority is providing a seamless travel experience for you. We want you to feel the tour was especially designed for you; whether you are traveling alone, with the family or with a group. Our Service of specialization includes the following: * Ecological Tours Flora and Fauna (National Parks) * Educational Tours (Exchange programs) * Hotel Reservation * Stay With A Host Family * Students Internship * Domestic tourism * Volunteer Programs * Escort Service * History and Slave Routes Tours * Cultural Tours (Festivals and Traditions) * Leisure /Pleasure Tours * Business & Investment Consultancy We have established a reputation for providing exciting tours and quality service throughout Ghana and West Africa and we look forward to being one of your new partners. Please for further information, contact us and our staff would be happy to assist you. Find out why American Presidents loves to visits Ghana…

Enjoy A Fun Filled Family Holiday In South Africa

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:37:24 +0000

Wondering where you should go this year for your family holidays, South Africa is the answer. A South Africa travel trip is just what you need to refresh and invigorate yourself after a stressful year, and a great place to show your kids what nature and heritage really is like.

South Africa offers something for every member of your family. Be it adventure and sport, culture and heritage, wildlife, accommodation safaris, natural beauty, or entertainment and leisure, South Africa travel has got it all. In addition to its inherent geographical and cultural vibrancy, the great thing about spending your family holidays in South Africa is that it is quite affordable. You can get great luxury accommodation and still have enough to shop a tonne.

The wildlife that you will encounter in your South Africa travel is almost addictive. And not just the big five, even the whales, meerkats, birds, wild dogs and penguins will hold you spell bound for the longest time. Kids will have a whale of a time exploring the great outdoors, and there is something to learn at every turn.

Offering tourists the ultimate combination of wildlife, nature, adventure, culture and vibe, you will have nothing to complain about on your South Africa travel. Even their rich history is a great experience. Learn about their freedom struggle as you follow the footsteps of Hector Pieterson, Mandela and many other revolutionary thinkers.

That’s not all. Teach your kids the importance of conservation and sustenance as they buy recyclable art, participate in social conservation projects, and stay green. Do something different this year. Spend your family holidays in South Africa and explore a whole new world of culture, heritage, nature and wildlife. Who knows what you may find on your South Africa travel?

Enjoy A Fun Filled Family Holiday In South Africa

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:37:24 +0000

Online Investing -Start Earning Profits Now

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:00:49 +0000

Go ahead, talk to any investor that is both resourceful and smart, and ask them what the best part of online investing is; you may be surprised at the answer. They will most probably let you know that online investments have a wide variety of resources that are available to everyone who is interesting. This alone appeals to those interested in online investing because it is the perfect way for people who are ready to make their money work for them, instead of working so hard for their money.

Technology today, has places a wide variety of options right at our fingertips. We have the option of investing in our sleep, right from our very own homes using any online broker we choose. This fact alone eliminates the need for a traditional broker, in your neighborhood. However, as technology grows so does the instances of fraudulent activities. This is something you will want to be very carefully and watchful over. There are many promoters who have no other purpose except to gain access to honest, hardworking folks, just like your self, and their financial information to use in their own online investing schemes.

Those who have done their homework can find high returns, when they learn how it works. Sometimes you can see investment returns of eighteen percent or higher. Online investing carries just about the same risks as those of diversification or mutual funds in which the returns barely reach four percent.

There is an abundance of amazing investment tools available to you all across the internet. Many can provide on demand feedback and updates, much unlike tools in the offline investment world. When investing offline, you will typically have to wait to find out what is going on and read it in the newspaper. With online investing and its resources, you no longer have to wait. The news can be directly delivered to your computer or email, so you can enjoy up to the minute news. This allows for quick trading, knowledge, and information. What is better about these online investment tools is that most of them are free resources available to anyone.

These facts have turned many offline traders, to the world of online investing. This in turn means that many offline brokers have caught on to the trend and have incorporated their businesses into the online world as well. Now is the time, begin in the world of online investing today and start using your knowledge to begin earning more profits on your investments.

Summary:

The internet has opened a great deal of options up to people all over the world; this includes the aspects of online investing as well. With all the resources available, online investments have grown in popularity because of the returns, the speed, and the convenience.

Advance Cash Loan

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:56:59 +0000

Be Smart – Avoid Advance Cash Loan Schemes

An advance cash loan can be a helpful resource if you are in need of cash before your next payday. These loans provide a increased cash flow that can be used for aid with balancing your budget. However, it’s important to check out the lender before you apply to ensure you avoid the le_exit_link’);” rel=”external nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.checkintocash.com” target=”_blank” title=”Cash Advance”>cash advance loan schemes that are out there.

Legitimate advance cash lenders will never ask for any fees upfront. Lenders withdraw the loan amount and fees directly from your checking account, so you never need to send money. If you receive a request asking you to do this, it is a scam designed to steal your money.

Be wary of unsolicited advance cash offers, which can come in the form of emails, phone calls or letters. Check to see if the lender is a member of Community Financial Services Association (CFSA) and is located in the United States

You may receive a request to wire money as soon as possible to another city or country. Your “lender” may tell you to send a loan payment to a second company to finish the loan process, or that there is insufficient money in your account so you need to send your payment right away to a specified location. Do not send the money! Advance cash lenders require you to have a checking account so all the loan transactions can be done electronically. Never send a check.

Another common advance loan scheme involves a fraudulent lender calling and saying you’ve been approved for a loan, say for $50,000, and that all you need to do to get this loan is give them 10 percent of the amount for “collateral.” You send the money, and it disappears. When you try to contact the “lender,” you cannot.

Reputable advance cash lenders provide a service that some individuals might need in times of financial difficulty. Be careful of fraudulent lenders. Know how to protect yourself from these scams. You can check on the CFSA website for a list of their members, which will assist you in choosing a reputable lender and not falling into the clutches of one of the advanced cash loan schemes.

What Would be your Internet Business Strategy to Make your Business Successful?

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:39:52 +0000

Developing a successful Internet business might include the following:

Unique product or service,
Implementation of different money making methods,
Having an opt-in email list,
Getting higher ranking of your website in major search engines,
Efficient use of no-cost and low-cost advertising techniques,
Setting up an efficient affiliated program,
Building joint venture relationship,
Optimizing retention policy with the help of effective follow-up system,
Building long lasting relationship with subscribers and customers,
Accepting money online,
Having total control over entire business.

You might know the importance of most of the above.

But one little thing you don’t forget – If you want to be successful, you need to have a good coordination between all of your activities and it could be decided and controlled by proper business strategies.

Proper strategies help you perform each and every activity of your entire business properly. It helps you decide your goal, helps you identify the paths towards your goal, helps you understand the tasks you need to perform in each step to achieve your desired goal. So, proper strategies make it simple to show you the end results of your total effort.

We already know that an Internet business means a killer product, a top selling ad copy, continuous flow of targeted traffic to your website, an automated sells system and off course maximum sales. But, running one successful online business essentially needs a proper strategy to get maximum out of each activity.

A proper strategy helps you in creating or selecting your products, it guides you how to offer your products, how to define your uniqueness, who could be your target market, how to build relationship with your subscribers and customers, how to market your product, who could be your joint venture partners and the rest of all so that you get maximum business in terms of traffic and profit. It doesn’t matter whatever product or service you do have, whether you have your own product or not, whether you are newcomer or experienced, you must have a properly defined strategy to efficiently coordinate between each of your activities.

Have your business strategy in front of you, define you goals; select your product, brand, offer; identify your target market; define your uniqueness, sales process, marketing process, follow-up process and off course everything.

You should remember one thing and that is properly defined strategies make almost 90% of your work already done for you.

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How To Select A Coffee Roaster

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:36:08 +0000

If you have decided to roast your own coffee then your first port of call will be to consider how to select a coffee roaster that is right for you. This decision is probably one of the hardest coffee-related choices you’ll have to make – there’s nothing worse than buying the wrong kind of roaster for your needs.

We’re going to be primarily looking at automated custom coffee bean roasters for the purposes of this article. But, it’s worth noting that you can roast your own coffee beans fresh at home without having to buy a roasting machine.

It is possible to roast beans in or on the stove, on a barbeque or fire or even, sometimes, in a popcorn popper. But, if you take your home roasting seriously and want some help with the process (the do it yourself approach can take a lot more time and effort) then a proper roasting machine may be your best option.

So, why do people roast their own beans at home? Well, it’s basically all about freshness and the quality of the roast you will ultimately get. If you buy green coffee beans – i.e. beans that are unroasted – you can simply roast them at home when you need to use them in batches so they’ll be ultra fresh. Green coffee beans are cheaper and last longer than ready roasted beans into the bargain. By the way, more information on bean roasting can be found here: http://www.coffee-n-beans.com/roasters.html

The ability to roast your own beans is a desirable must with many coffee aficionados – you can do away with stale coffee, get the level of roast you want when and where you want it and save yourself some money into the bargain!

In very simple terms there are two main types of machine to consider when you’re deciding how to select a coffee roaster which are Fluid Bed/Air Roasters and Drum Roasters.

Fluid Bed/Air Roasters

If you want to roast your own coffee beans at home then the first thing you should look at is getting hold of a standard fluid bed based roaster. These machines are small, can be compact and are primarily designed for small-medium home use. So, they will roast your beans for you fairly quickly and with minimal fuss – you don’t have to stand over them for example, as you would if you were home roasting on the stove top.

These kinds of roasters kind of work like popcorn makers in that they use hot air during the roast process. You can see how the roast is progressing in most cases so you can control it more effectively and you will sometimes also be given pre-set roasts to choose from in any case. If you’re a home roasting ‘newbie’ then this kind of machine may suit you best as you will get a feel for the whole process as you go along – you can always upgrade to a bigger and more complex roaster at a later date when you have more experience. These machines are also cheaper than other options and are relatively easy to use in the kitchen.

There are a couple of downsides with this kind of roaster, however. You will find that some models won’t roast that much coffee at once and will burn out if you use them too often. Some models also don’t have such great controls or pre-sets (some don’t have any) – so it may take a while for you to get used to using the machine if this is the case.

Drum Roaster

If the option of a fluid bed roaster doesn’t seem quite right to you when you’re thinking about how to select a coffee roaster then you could also look at drum roasting as an alternative. Drum roasters were once only seen in coffee shops and stores that roasted their own coffee beans but, nowadays, it’s real easy to buy machines for domestic use.

Drum roasting machines can basically roast more beans at once – in most cases – than fluid bed machines as they are bigger. Most will work on a convection or conduction method. With this kind of machine you place your beans in a drum, close it up, set it running and wait until the roast is done.

This is more of a pro machine – although they are designed for use at home – simply because they can be more complex to operate than fluid bed roasters. But, the majority of true coffee fans will prefer this method over time as it is held to produce better results in coffee taste terms.

The downsides with many drum roasters is that they don’t have a window so you can’t always look inside them as you can with most fluid bed roasters. So, you may have to rely on your sense of smell or hearing (as you listen to the coffee bean cracks!) to work out when your roast is perfectly done. This is one of the reasons why these machines may not suit ‘newbie’ roasters to start off with.

Some of these drum machines can also give off a lot of smoke so you may need to sort out adequate ventilation or even do your roasting outside if this is the case. And, as you might expect you’ll pay more for drum roasters than for fluid bed machines. At the end of the day you’ll need to think long and hard about how confident you are with the home roasting process – if you haven’t roasted at home before then you may be better off starting off with a fluid bed machine but if you feel more confident and need the extra functionality then a drum roaster may suit you better.

Whichever type of machine you choose to buy do remember that it’s absolutely vital to read some user reviews on the Internet before you buy a roaster as these will tell you stuff the manufacturer won’t. These reviews are written by people who have used these machines and they will give you a real good idea of the pros and cons of any machine from people that have used them regularly.

Some example tips to look out with for fluid bed roasters include:

? How well do the programs (if there are any) work?

? How easy is it to use and what kind of functions does it have?

? How well made is the roaster?

? How evenly does it roast?

? How well can you see into the roasting chamber?

? How noisy is the machine?

? How easy is it to clean the machine/parts?

? What happens to the chaff?

Some example tips to look out with for drum roasters include:

? How well do the programs (if there are any) work?

? How easy is it to use and what kind of functions does it have?

? Does it produce a lot of smoke?

? Can you see inside the drum from the outside?

? Does the machine get too hot?

? What happens to the chaff?

? How easy is it to clean the machine/parts?

new york web hosting Very Affordable

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:22:07 +0000

First of all, I’m in NY. I was in need of new york web hosting. Exploring the Internet for for web hosting is a problem. I’ve looked all over online and there are so many various hosting outfits that I’m feeling upset at the prospect of looking into them all. It would take me weeks and take tons of effort to look into them all myself. So what I did was research a handful of those hosting review websites and did a little home work.

These hosts often times have tons of problems due to the fact that they literally stuff as many websites as possible onto the servers in order to make more money. I won’t mention the companies name but back when I purchased my first web site, I found out that there were over 1500 customers on the same exact server as the one I was on. I couldn’t send anyone at yahoo or hotmail or gmail an e-mail. Needless to say, this was bad for my business.

These places are basically a mirror image of each other. Most of them do offer 24 hour support by phone or online, but don’t expect it to feel like you are the most important customer of all time. At these enormous corporate entities you can expect the total experience to be at times scary, to be honest. Of course this doesn’t apply to all of these companies. There are still some honest web hosting companies out there, they are just getting tougher to find.

HostJackpot.com
This company isn’t a huge corporate entity, but the quality and service they offer is some of the best in the business. I cannot tell you how important it is for you to go and sign up right this instant. It will be the smartest choice you have ever made regarding web hosting.